The Circus Girl
by distraught.hallelujah
Summary: A famous circus has come to Leaf Village! Everyone is excited, especially when the main attraction is a pretty juggler names Kozue. But when a member of the troupe is murdered and evidence points to Kozue, can Neji prove her innocence? *My first ever book.*
1. The Girl Who Played With Fire

"Lady Hokage?" Shizune asked, knocking politely on the door to the office. Inside, Tsunade woke with a start and brushed away the papers sticking to her face.

"Enter," Tsunade said dramatically, waving her hand. Shizune opened the door, stepped in, and shut the door behind her. Tsunade groaned.

"More paperwork? When will it end?" She moaned as she spotted the armful of kanji-filled parchment, putting her head in her hands.

"Well, maybe there would be less of it if you did some while new paperwork came in," Shizune said. "But actually, I thought this one may interest you." Shizune picked a piece of paper from the top of the pile and managed to drop it on the desk. Tsunade swooped it up and her eyes scanned over it.

"A traveling circus?" She said dumbly.

"From the Village Hidden in Shadow. They're on their way now, and they'd like permission to stop here before continuing to their destination. In the meantime, they're offering performances in the village. Tickets will be sold upon entering."

"I haven't heard of that village before," Tsunade said, frowning. Shizune shrugged.

"No one has. They say it's a very small village somewhere near the Village Hidden in Stone. But I've heard that particular circus is very good, plus it's more well-known than the village itself."

_Why is there a Hidden Village I don't know about?_ Tsunade wondered. _I'm the Hokage, shouldn't I know all the villages?_

"Ah. Well, I suppose a circus wouldn't hurt. The children would enjoy that, I'm thinking. You can go ahead and welcome them when they arrive, make sure you keep their way into the village clear, because I don't want any kids run over by their oxen or whatever."

"Actually, I hear it's more... elephants," Shizune said hesitantly. "Like... big, gray, leathery ones."

"Oh, what fun," Tsunade said dully.

"But they assure us that we need not do any extra work while they're here. They'll take care of it all, so no worries."

"Shizune, when has anyone ever said that and actually done it?"

"I have."

"Right. My mistake." Tsunade grinned suddenly, a surprisingly impish look overcoming her normally stern, motherly features. "Let's do it. This oughta be fun."

~ Meanwhile ~

"A circus?" Lee's eyes widened. "In Leaf Village?"

The posters were up all over the city by now, gigantic black and red posters with pictures of acrobats and fire-breathers and animals and clowns. One picture, showing a pretty girl with long red hair billowing down her back and nine rings in the air in a circle above her plus one in each hand, said "The Girl Who Plays With Fire" in kanji at the bottom.

Lee was already hyper. This made it just slightly worse.

Neji examined the poster carefully.

"'The star attraction in tonight's show by the Shadow Village Circus will be performing the fire juggling routine. This includes our singer, Chiaki, singing throughout the duration of this amazing routine where our 火で遊ぶ女の子 will show off her fire juggling skills. Don't miss it!'" He read out loud. "Hm."

"What is it, Neji?" Tenten asked from beside him, examining his expression.

"Nothing. It just sounds interesting," Neji said evasively, nonchalantly moving to stand by their sensei, Gai, who held up a handful of tickets with a huge smile on his face.

"Yes, Gai Sensei! You're so cool!" Lee exclaimed, tears appearing in his overly wide eyes.

"All of us?" Tenten asked with glee. Gai Sensei struck a pose, the sun glinting off his teeth.

"All of us," Gai said proudly, stuffing the tickets in his pocket with his free hand. Neji turned slightly to watch a cloaked girl head down the street with someone next to her. The cloaked girl turned to talk to the person next to her, and the person nodded and moved aside.

The girl threw her hood back as she examined the fruits and vegetables for sale by a street vendor. She picked some items, put them in her bag and, smiling, dropped a handful of coins in the man's hand. The man looked down at the coins in surprise, and took about half of them and tried to give them back. The girl shook her head, reaching out to fold the man's hand around the coins.

She said something Neji couldn't hear and the man grinned and made a grateful bow. Then, smiling, the girl turned the other way.

Neji could easily recognize the mane of red hair and the pale, unblemished skin. She was the circus's mane attraction from the poster, the Girl Who Plays With Fire. Apparently other people did too, because soon she was surrounded by people asking questions and begging for her autograph.

Neji realized she was much younger than she looked on the poster. In fact, she couldn't have been much older than he was. She signed some slips of paper and then waved to the crowd, flipping her hood back up and gliding away, her companion hurrying after her.

Tenten and Lee were talking to Gai Sensei and had noticed nothing.

"Front row seats?" Lee exclaimed. "I love you, Gai Sensei!"

Guy Sensei grinned proudly, though Neji was moderately sure he only got tickets because his rival, Kakashi, had gotten tickets for his subordinates, and they were probably not front row. Of course, both Jonin probably wouldn't be able to make it themselves, seeing as they were almost constantly on missions.

Neji sighed. _I guess I'm the only one who'll keep my cool_, he thought. _Oh, well_.

~ Later On ~

"Welcome to the Shadow Village Circus Night Show!" The ringmaster's voice boomed. He stood on a block in the middle of the arena, his black suit and shiny top hat glinting in the bright colored lights. He was a tall man, with a mustache and thick eyebrows and a rabbit's foot on a chain around his neck.

"You will enjoy our main attraction tonight," he said with a wink. "It's gonna be hot!"

Circus music started playing and the ringmaster left the arena. A woman dressed in (Neji shuddered) basically nothing but feathers with a long black braid down her back came out riding on an elephant's head, followed by a man with a whip and a lion trailing after him.

The bird-woman did fancy leaps and bounds on the elephant's back, and the lion-tamer had the lion jump through hoops and walk on balance beams.

The trapeze artists came out and began flying all over the stage, wearing colorful bodysuits. One man held on to another man's ankles, then let go and grabbed another man's shoulders as he swooped underneath.

Then the contortionist came on. She bent her body in impossible shapes, twisting into knots and relaxing, then twisting again. The crowd oohed and ahhed at this remarkable performance.

Finally, it neared the end of the show. All of the lights came off, and there was hushed murmuring. A single light came on, alighting the girl in the center. She was dressed in a simple black and red corset tank top and leggings laced up the sides, and her gorgeous curly red hair was tied behind her bowed head.

The light moved to the other side of the arena, where a woman who looked very similar, even dressed in the same way, took a deep breath and began to sing. As she began to sing, the girl lifted her arms and revealed a bunch of rings on each arm. She tossed them into the air, and they burst into flames.

"Can you feel the breath of lost dreams,

In the wind against your neck?

The fire bites, the fire screams!

The fire dances in the breeze.

The fire leaps, the fire cries!

Ember tears that lay all lies."

Chiaki sang as the fire whirled in the darkness. The girl herself could not be seen, nor her movements, but the patterns that were left in the air by the dizzying speed of her tossing the rings across and seemingly straight through other rings was easily visible.

Neji was captured in fascination. He hadn't expected such a show, especially from a village he had never heard of, but this was spectacular. He could see why they called her the main attraction. Then, without warning, the singer went hoarse and stopped suddenly and the fire halted. Neji looked around, wondering if something was wrong, but then a new voice picked up the song.

"Dance and sway,

On the wicks of candles.

Burn away,

Taste the light of a new day!

Leap and bound and twist and turn,

Scorch and scream and hurt and burn.

The fire does not take survivors,

None survive the fire's ire."

Neji realized with a start that not only had the girl started juggling again, but now she was also the one singing. Chiaki hurried offstage, obviously embarrassed. Neji wondered what had happened. Nevertheless, the fire still whirled through the air and the music still played, and the girl's clear song pierced the air almost like the light of the fire.

"Byakugan!" Neji murmured, focusing his Kekkai Genkai on the fire dancer. He could see her chakra weaving through her body, and he could see her body now even though it was still dark. Her movements were exaggerated, but still fluid.

And then he realized what he was seeing. Just before she threw a ring into the air, it flared with her own chakra.

This was not a magic trick. The rings were really being thrown at each other, but instead of bouncing off, they just _slipped right through each other_. Neji watched with renewed fascination using his Byakugan as the girl fearlessly danced among the flames, tossing and catching rings at an astonishing pace.

Finally, the song ended and the girl halted, head bowed, the snuffed-out rings once again on her arms in the beginning pose. Everyone stood up and started cheering, and the girl bowed politely and headed out. The ringmaster proudly strutted out.

"Can you believe it? And to think, she learned it entirely by herself!" The ringmaster crowed. The lights came back on and everyone began filing out. Neji drummed his fingers on the armrests of his seat.

"What is it, Neji?" Tenten asked curiously. "Wasn't she amazing?"

"Does the Hokage know about the Village Hidden in Shadow?" Neji asked.

"I assume so. Why?"

"No reason." Neji got up with Tenten and Lee.

"Hey, Bushy Brow!" Someone called, heading towards them. Neji sighed. Naruto came running down the hall towards their seat, waving at Lee.

"Naruto," Lee said, surprised. "Is Sakura here?" He asked, looking around eagerly.

"Yeah, up there with Kakashi Sensei. Hey, did you see that show? Wow! She's really good!" Naruto said eagerly. "And the fire...!" He shook his head. "Unbelievable!"

"Come on," Neji whispered, pulling Tenten along.

"What are you doing?" Tenten hissed, but she came with him. Neji followed the crowd and then headed around the tent to where the smaller tents were.

"... terribly sorry, I don't know what happened!" A female voice wailed. Neji signalled Tenten to stay quiet, and he crouched by the door.

"It's fine, really, Chiaki. It worked out okay in the end. Luckily for you, I remembered the rest of the song," The girl's voice said cheerfully.

"Are you certain you're all right? Usually after the show you get all tired and-"

"I'm _fine_, Chiaki. You go ahead, I think I'm going to get some rest."

"If you're certain..." Chiaki said hesitantly. Neji pulled Tenten to the side as Chiaki headed out of the tent. "Good night, Kozue!"

"Good night, Chiaki."

Chiaki disappeared in the maze of tents, and Neji stepped closer to the tent.

"Byakugan!" He murmured, focusing on the tent. His eyes slid through the fabric – Neji looked away, blushing fiercely. He didn't mean to intrude on her privacy as she dressed for bed. He waited a minute, then tried again.

"Byakugan!"

The inside of the tent was plain, with only the necessities and no heavy furniture so that it could be easily packed up and moved to another place. The little bed was on the far side, and Kozue lay on it, staring up at the ceiling of the tent. Her gaze shifted curiously to where Neji was on the others side, and Neji got up.

"Come on, let's go," he said softly to Tenten, and they both headed back to the main tent.


	2. The First Murder

"Chiaki?" Kozue asked softly. There was no answer. Kozue got up softly and opened the tent flap, the headed out into the cool air. Kozue headed towards Chiaki's tent, thinking she would probably be awake even though it was in the middle of the night. Kozue tripped over something in the darkness and stumbled.

_Times __like__ this__ and__ I'm __lucky __I'm__ from __the__ Shadow__ Village_, Kozue thought, _because,__ like__ anyone __else,__ you__ adapt__ to __the__ conditions__ of__ your__ village.__ In__ the __Village __Hidden __in__ Shadow,__ where__ even __the__ day __has__ very __little__ light, __the__ entire__ population __is__ known __for __their__ ability__ to __see__ through __the __dark._

So now, as Kozue turned to see what she had tripped on, she was proud to be from the Shadow Village. Her eyes adjusted, and she gasped. When she realized what she had tripped over, a look of horror crossed her face, and she let out a bloodcurdling scream.

~ Meanwhile ~

Neji awoke with a start. _What__ was__ that?_ He thought furiously as he shoved both shoes onto his feet and headed out the door. _It__ sounded__ like__ a __scream._

It was still dark outside, but the sun was slowly appearing over the horizon. A small crowd of people had already gathered around the circus tents, and Neji pushed his way through. The source of commotion was easily identified.

Kozue stood on the far side of the tent, deathly pale and shaking, tears coursing down her face. Her hair was a mess and she was still in her nightgown. In the center, between Kozue's tent and Chiaki's, lay Chiaki. Her face was hidden beneath her stray reddish-blond hair, and her clothes were torn. Blood soaked her back, into which a kunai knife was plunged to the hilt. She was very definitely dead.

Kozue looked away in horror as Genma, the Hokage's right hand man, examined the body.

"What exactly happened?" Genma asked softly, looking up at Kozue. Kozue gulped.

"I... was looking for Chiaki – I had something I needed to tell her – and..." Kozue trailed off, more tears trailing down her pale cheeks. "And I... I tripped..." her voice broke and she took a deep breath, looking away. Kakashi stepped forward, taking her arm.

"We'll take it from here," he said, leading her back to her tent. "Go ahead and get dressed, don't worry about it anymore."

"But she's-" Kozue said urgently, looking back. "If I can just..." Before Neji knew what was happening, she had wrenched away and collapsed by Chiaki's side. She yanked the knife out and put her hands on the wound, then the area around it began glowing.

"She's dead, Miss Oshiro. I'm afraid there's nothing you can do." The Hokage appeared and the crowd parted. "Not even I could heal her now."

"But if I can just-" Kozue sobbed, her hands shaking. Kakashi carefully lifted her up and carried her into her tent, disappearing inside.

Tsunade began talking to Genma in hushed tones, asking about what he knew. Genma explained as best he could and Tsunade nodded. Then, with a sigh, Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose in a thoughtful expression.

"Everyone please go back to your homes and continue with your day," Tsunade called. The crowd began to separate. Tsunade looked back down at the body and shook her head sadly, putting a hand to her forehead. Neji stepped forward.

"Lady Hokage?" He asked. Tsunade looked up wearily.

"Could I talk to you? Someplace private?" He asked. Tsunade sighed.

"I'm a bit busy at the moment, Neji. Perhaps some other time-"

"It's important," Neji persisted. "And it pertains to Kozue."

With one last look at the body, Tsunade nodded and led Neji down the street. They walked silently all the way to her office, and then Tsunade let him inside and took her seat, looking up at him expectantly.

"Do you know much about the Village Hidden in Shadow?" Neji asked.

"Not much," Tsunade said. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I was watching Kozue's performance with my Byakugan, and she was using some sort of Jutsu to juggle with. I think she may be a Shinobi, and she may have..." Neji trailed off.

"-killed Chiaki?" Tsunade finished. Neji nodded.

"It's a possibility we can't count out yet, I suppose." Tsunade looked out the window at the distant bright colors of the circus tents. "I could ask her some questions, I'm sure she'd be all right with that. However, please don't question her yourself. I will get to it soon enough."

Neji hesitated.

"But the circus will leave town in a few days, and if-" he began.

"No," Tsunade said sharply. "I _will_take care of it."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," Neji said reluctantly. He bowed and turned to leave.

"Neji?"

"Yes?"

"Perhaps... if one were to get close to the suspect..."

Neji whirled around.

"You want me to _spy_ on her?" He gasped. Tsunade shook her head sharply.

"No, no, no. Consider this another mission. Just... get to know her. Find out if she has any motive for murder, things like that."

"That's spying," Neji exclaimed, his hands clenching into fists. Tsunade sighed.

"Don't do it if you don't want to. I'll find someone else to shadow her."

Before Neji knew what he was doing, he had accepted the mission and was heading out the door with a frown on his face. He headed past Tenten, who began to talk to him but saw the look on his face and thought against it.

"Sourpuss," Tenten muttered as Neji walked by. Neji made no comment.

~ Later On ~

"Kozue, right?" Neji asked, forcing a smile onto his face. Kozue looked up at him.

"Yes," she said in a small voice. "And you're Mr. Hyuuga, am I right?"

"Yes, how did you know?" Neji asked curiously. "I'm Neji."

"I'm good with faces," Kozue said distractedly. "You were in the front row of my performance yesterday, weren't you? I remember."

"Yes, I was. It was extraordinary, really. You are very talented."

"Sadly not," Kozue said softly. "If you'll excuse me, I have some... business..." Tears rolled down her cheeks as she got up hurriedly and raced away. Neji stared after her.

~ Meanwhile ~

Shadows covered the ground. A figure wearing all black with a skull mask made its way through the shadows, under cover of night. There was a crack, like a twig being stepped on, and the figure started.

The figure melted through the ground like a ghost, with no sound.

"Did you see that?" A Chunin whispered to his companion in a nearby tree.

"Yeah. Creepy," the other Chunin shuddered. "You think it's a ghost?"

"Could be, could be. I heard that circus girl was killed, maybe the ghost is-"

He never finished his sentence. Without a word, the dark figure appeared behind him and slit his throat before turning on his companion.

The companion didn't have any time to react.

~ Meanwhile ~

Kozue took a deep breath. She raised her hands in front of her body and turned slightly so that her side was facing the tree and her head was turned. Then she formed a Sign with her hands as she muttered under her breath.

"Uma, Tatsu, Ushi, Ne, Saru, Tatsu, Hitsuji!" She muttered, then held out her hand. She stepped forward, and put her hands on the tree bark. Instead of sitting on top, her hands glided through the wood as though it was air. She sighed, closing her eyes, enjoying the cold silk sensation.

"Hey, Kozue!" Someone called. Kozue wrenched her hands out of the tree and made the Sign to Release.

"Neji," She greeted without enthusiasm. Neji nodded.

"You remember me," he said. Kozue nodded slowly.

"I'm training now, but I can catch you later...?" Kozue asked, cocking her head. Neji shook his head.

"Actually, Tenten and I were going to train around here as well, so we can all train together. Maybe I can teach you some tricks," Neji glanced at Kozue, trying to read her expression, but her face was unreadable.

"No, it's fine. I just finished, actually. Go ahead, I won't keep you," Kozue began to shove past Neji, but he held her back.

"I wanted to ask you some questions, if I may?" He asked solemnly. Kozue's eyebrows furrowed and she took a deep breath.

"Mm-hmm," she said finally, crossing her arms. "Go ahead."

"Did you see anything other than Chiaki that night?" Neji asked. Kozue sighed.

"If it's questions about the murder, I already gave my statement. Besides, you're just a Genin, right? You aren't part of this investigation."

"It's a side thing," Neji said coldly. "The Hokage asked that I see what I could find."

"Oh." Kozue colored slightly, glancing away. "Well...now that you mention it, I did think I saw a flash of something, just for a moment. But that was before Chiaki... you know."

"I see. And what did you think you saw?" Neji asked curiously.

"Um... it was nothing, really. I didn't really _see_ anything, of sorts..."

"Yes?"

"Well, I thought there was someone watching me when I got ready for bed," Kozue said frankly. It was Neji's turn to blush.

"I'm sure it was nothing," He said dismissively.

"Like I said, of no importance," Kozue added. They were both a pleasant shade of pomegranate when Tenten arrived.

"Ooh, Neji's got a-" Tenten began, grinning evilly. Neji's eyes flashed daggers and Tenten began whistling nonchalantly.

"I should go," Kozue said suddenly, and pushed past Neji and Tenten to head back towards her tent. Neji turned to Tenten with a thoughtful look on his face.

"I do NOT have a girlfriend," he said very firmly.

~ Meanwhile ~

Kozue found her way to the river and smiled at the way the sun lit up the little waves. She sat by the riverbank and sighed, her eyes closed. Memories flashed through her mind.

She had been in the circus from a young age, ever since her parents died. The circus had taken her in, or rather Chiaki had. Chiaki was like Kozue's adoptive mother, Kozue did everything with her in mind. A tear trickled down Kozue's face. She remembered the day she had arrived, when she was nine and thin enough to be six. She had found her way into the circus tent and was watching the performances with wide eyes. Suddenly, she had felt a hand on her neck.

She looked up with frightened eyes to see Chiaki staring down at her, smiling. Chiaki pointed to the stage.

"Watch for me," she said softly. Kozue had nodded very slightly, scared of this new person in front of her. Still smiling, Chiaki kissed Kozue's forehead and headed into the lights. When her performance ended, Chiaki took Kozue back to her tent and fed her. Ever since then, Kozue had stayed with the circus. She learned to juggle, and even became the star attraction. And though she out-shined even Chiaki, Chiaki was still generous and never said a word.

And now Chiaki was gone.

Kozue stepped into the river, the cold water rushing against her bare ankles. She sighed softly, sitting on a rock in the middle of the river, and closed her eyes, dipping her toes in.

There was a sudden splash, and something wet and slimy slammed against Kozue's leg. Kozue's eyes shot open and she yelped, jumping backward and tripping over the rock. The fish that had leapt at her kept swimming down the river, but Kozue fell and slammed onto the riverbed, the cold water soaking her. She sputtered, trying to find a handhold on the slippery riverbed to push herself back up.

"Need some help?" Someone asked from the shore. Kozuw whirled around to see Neji standing there, offering her a hand. Kozue took hold of his arm gratefully and he pulled her up out of the water. Kozue stepped up onto shore, shivering and wet to the core.

"You should get home and dry off," Neji said concernedly. "You'll catch a cold."

"I'm f-f-fine," Kozue stammered, her teeth chattering. Her hair stuck to her face and she brushed it away impatiently. "I'll b-be f-fine, just have to g-g-get home..."

Kozue trailed off as she let out a tremendous sneeze. Neji grinned.

"What'd I tell you?"

"Okay, ok-k-kay, Mr. Know-It-t-t-All." Kozue sneezed again as she headed up the path towards her tent.

The tent wasn't very far, luckily for her, but by the time she got there she had a headache and was freezing cold. She shivered as she heated some water and put it in a basin at her feet, then changed into a black bodysuit, wrapped herself up in a blanket, and dunked her feet in the basin of steaming water. She sighed.

She stood up and threw the blanket off. Then she dug into the chest of clothes and came up with something. It was a skull mask. Without a sound, she slid it over her face and then (leaving the basin of water) left the tent.


	3. A Date With Neji

"Tsunade-sama! Tsunade-sama!" Shizune exclaimed as she burst into the office.

"What?" Tsunade asked, looking up sharply.

"Two Chunin were found dead just now. The doctors placed time of death sometime last night. Whatever are we going to do?"

"We're not going to panic, Shizune."

"Right. Okay. Can do. No problem. Just-"

"That means you, Shizune."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," Shizune took a deep breath.

"Two Chunin, you say? Last night... hmm... Shizune!"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune made an abrupt salute.

"Bring Neji here immediately. I want to see if he's found anything."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

Shizune left, shutting the door behind her. Tsunade folded her hands, staring after her. _Two__ Chunin...__last__ night...__I__ wonder__ if__ it__ has __anything __to __do__ with__ the__ circus__ murder?_ She wondered. _Chances__ are__ it's__ very__ possible...__after __all,__ murders__ are__ rare __in __Leaf__ Village,__ but__ now__ three __in__ two__ nights..._

A figure in black with a skull mask made its way through the shadows. The figure covered it's nose and mouth, hidden by the mask, and let out a sneeze. It shook it off, found a wall, tapped it gently, and made a hand Sign. The figure disappeared straight through the wall. Inside, there was pedestal in the middle of the room, on top of which sat a medallion of sorts. Two Jonin guarded it, though it really was not necessary. No one could pick all the locks, and the doors were impossible to get through. Plus, no one can just walk through walls!

The figure slid silently in behind them, then suddenly halted. The figure raised a hand – and there was a muffled sneeze. The Jonin both heard it at the same time and turned sharply.

"Hey! You! How did you get in?" The Jonin on the right exclaimed, pulling out a kunai knife. The figure crouched and made a hand Sign. Both Jonin were stopped immediately.

"Ninja art; Shadow Paralysis Jutsu!" The figure said. The figure looked down and both Jonins heads were pulled down as well. Sure enough, the shadow stretched across the hall and met with theirs. The figure took the medallion from the pedestal and gave a little wave (the Jonin mirrored it) then ran through the wall.

The Jonin were both slightly hindered by the wall, which stopped their movements to follow with a resounding crack as they both slipped to the ground, unconscious.

"Shikamaru, do you know why I called you here?" Tsunade asked seriously.

"This is such a drag," Shikamaru muttered, staring at the floor with a frown on his face. "I told you, I never left my room. I had trouble falling asleep, but I kind-of drifted in and out throughout the night."

"But you understand how this is suspicious, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose. After all, it's my Jutsu. But put the emphasis on 'my'. It must have been some sort of Genjutsu. That's the Nara Clan Secret Jutsu, me and my dad are the only ones in the village who know how to use it. Wait a minute, you said the thief said, 'Shadow _Paralysis_ Jutsu'? You're sure it was Paralysis?"

"I think so. What does that have to do with it?"

"I call it the Shadow Possession Jutsu. Only my dad still calls it Paralysis."

"Could it have been you father?" Tsunade asked. Shikamaru's cheeks colored slightly.

"No, he was also in bed all night. And so was my mother."

"How do you know?" Tsunade asked. "He may have snuck out-"

"Because I heard them. He was in bed, all right," Shikamaru said in an annoyed manner. Tsunade blushed as well.

"Oh. Well, then."

"Anything else?" Shikamaru asked.

"No, I think that will be all. Thank you, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru nodded and headed for the door. He stopped and turned back.

"Oh, by the way, have you had that circus girl checked out?" Shikamaru asked.

"Kozue? I'm going to talk to Neji about that in a minute. Why do you ask?"

"Because she knew the first victim, and the next victims were found near the circus area. Plus, she doesn't have an alibi because she sleeps alone in her tent, she is a circus girl so she can probably sneak around pretty well at night, and the weapon used was not one used by Leaf Shinobi, but the first murder was."

"How do you know all that?" Tsunade asked.

"I hear things," Shikamaru said with a sigh. He shrugged. "It's a drag, but I thought I should tell you. She seems like the most likely suspect."

"You have a point. Thank you, Shikamaru, you can go now."

Shikamaru nodded and left, closing the door behind him. Tsunade folded her hands as there was another knock at the door.

"Yes?" She asked. The door opened and Neji walked in.

"You wanted me?" He said.

"Ah. Neji. Yes, I wanted to ask you about that job I gave you..."

"Nothing yet. Although I'm thinking maybe I was wrong, she seemed genuinely upset about Chiaki's murder."

"I see." Tsunade drummed her fingers on the desk.

"What is it?" Neji asked.

"I just talked to Shikamaru, and he made a good point. All the evidence points to Kozue. There was a gold medallion that was stolen just recently, and both Jonin claimed that the thief used the Shadow Possession Jutsu that Shikamaru uses, so I questioned him and he said it wasn't him. I believe him, of course, and he has an alibi for his father as well. Therefore, who could it have been?"

"And you think... if the Shadow Jutsu that Shikamaru uses originally came from the Village Hidden in Shadow, then maybe before the Nara Clan got ahold of it..." Neji trailed off, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration.

"You see? I would arrest her now, but we need material evidence, not just a motive and opportunity."

"But where's the motive? Chiaki was Kozue's best friend. Where's the motive to kill your best friend?" Neji asked.

"Maybe they had a fight or something. There has to be something Kozue is not telling us, something important. Maybe even the last piece of the puzzle."

"But what if there isn't? What if there's someone else-" Neji began, but he was interrupted when a faint scream echoed in the distance. Tsunade immediately got to her feet.

"If you'll excuse me, we can finish this conversation some other time," She said firmly. She raced out the door in a swirl of fabric. Neji followed.

"It was a g-g-ghost!" The woman yelped, shaking with fear. Neji stood a little ways away and Tsunade stepped up to her. The woman looked frightened. She had long black hair trailed down her back messily, that covered most of her face.

"What do you mean, a ghost?" Tsunade asked. "Ghosts aren't real."

"This one was, I swear! It came right through the wall, with its hideous skeletal face and spindly little legs, and it almost attacked me! I screamed and it floated away, but it was so terrible!" The woman sobbed, head in hands. Tsunade sighed.

"Genma," Tsunade called, waving him over. Genma hurried to her side.

"Search the area," Tsunade ordered. Genma nodded and hurried off.

"Are you certain that's what you saw?" Tsunade asked concernedly. The woman nodded.

"How could I forget that face?" The woman shuddered, her eyes closing. "It went that way," She added, pointing down the street at the circus tents. Tsunade set her jaw and turned sharply, heading down the street with a focused look on her face.

"Wait!" Neji called after her. Neji caught her arm. "Two days, okay? Give me two days."

"Neji..." Tsunade sighed, looking past him at the ring of circus tents. She sighed again, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Two days. Starting now. No more, no less."

"Arigato, Tsunade-sama," Neji said gratefully. Two days. Only two. Neji headed down the street, praying that Kozue would be in her tent.

She was. Neji called and she appeared at the door.

"Oh. You again," she said softly. She seemed fully recovered.

"You look like you're feeling better," Neji said cheerfully. Kozue stared.

"Um... yes, I suppose I am. Actually, I'm busy with something, but if you were to come back later..." Kozue began.

"Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to come to lunch with me. My treat," Neji offered amiably. Kozue looked startled.

"Oh... well, that's a bit sudden... um... when?"

"Well, since you're busy now, I can come back later-" Neji turned to leave.

"Actually," Kozue said, stopping him. "I think that'd be just the thing to take my mind off things. Besides, it's not that important. It can wait." Smiling, Kozue came out of the tent. Neji smiled back.

"Do you like ramen?" He asked. "There's a shop near here that sells ramen, and a friend of mine says it's very good."

"That would be lovely," Kozue said. They both headed down the street and a slow pace towards Ichiraku's Ramen Shop.

"I was wondering..." Kozue began. Neji looked at her expectantly.

"Well, I was wondering if you had any siblings. Sorry if that's personal, I don't mean to pry..."

"That's not prying, don't worry about it. Sadly, no siblings. My parents died when I was young. I do have a cousin though, her name is Hinata. My father was her father's twin brother. She's actually in this village, if you'd like to meet her."

"I would love to meet her sometime. Hinata... that's such a pretty name. Is she nice?" Kozue asked eagerly.

"Oh yes, very. But she's quite shy." Neji stared off into space for a moment before looking back at Kozue.

"Oh. It must be wonderful to have a cousin. I wasn't nearly as lucky, I never knew my parents. I grew up as more of a... village brat, I suppose. The whole village would leave out some food or a worn blanket every now and then, but it was really hard. Especially during the winter," Kozue shivered, as if just thinking about it made her cold. "But when I met Chiaki," she continued, "the circus troupe were all very nice to me. I had a great time, too," Kozue smiled up at Neji, her posture betraying her forced cheerful espression. Neji stared her down.

"Okay, well, maybe not all of them," Kozue admitted, eyes downcast.

"What do you mean?" Neji asked curiously. Kozue pulled up her sleeve to show him her arm, which bore a long, thin scar from her shoulder down to her elbow.

"The ringmaster's girlfriend – she's the one with the long black hair who rides the elephant – doesn't like me very much. She was very upset when Chiaki introduced me to the rest of the group. See, she's in charge of seeing that everyone's cared for, you know, fed and clothed and whatnot. Well, my first day, I was practicing, and she threw something at me." Kozue paused. "She said... 'Try juggling this, brat!' and threw... one of those little round sharp spinny thingies at me. Those things you and your friends use during training? It wasn't a deep wound, but... it hurt more inside, you know?"

"A Shuriken?" Neji asked, reaching into his Ninja tool purse. He pulled out one of his Shuriken and showed it to her. Kozue cringed away slightly.

"Yeah, it looked something like that. I didn't see it very well, it was all so fast."

"Wait, you mean to say that this woman uses Shuriken?" Neji stopped suddenly.

"Rarely. When she's angry or something. I've caught her using them to cut her hair, though, so I thought it was probably the closest thing she had to a knife."

"And you saw me using these?" Neji asked, a smile growing on his face. Kozue blushed.

"Just once, I was walking and I spotted you. I just watched for a few minutes. Your Byakugan is really amazing, though. I saw what you did when your friend threw the weapons and you deflected them all by yourself, all at the same time. It was really amazing."

"You're pretty good at juggling," Neji said graciously. "Besides, I barely did anything. It's just a Gentle Fist technique."

"Gentle Fist? What's that?" Kozue asked.

"It's a form of fighting where you attack your enemy's chakra points and conflict the flow of chakra without involving much strength on your part. With the Byakugan, I can see my enemy's chakra points, then I use the Gentle Fist technique to immobilize them. It's really useful."

"Oh. Cool." Kozue was silent.

"We're here," Neji said suddenly, pulling aside the curtain and allowing Kozue to enter first. Kozue nodded her thanks and stepped into the small area, then took a seat.

"Well, hello, there," Teuchi said from behind the counter. Neji smiled a greeting.

"Ooh, I haven't seen you around before." Teuchi's daughter, Ayame, smiled down at Kozue. "It's always nice to see a girl or two around here. No offense, but it's always just boys, boys, boys."

"I won't be in the village for long, sadly. I'm with the circus," Kozue explained, smiling back.

"Oh, really? Hey, you're that juggling girl, aren't you? I saw the show, but never really saw your face, because it was dark the whole time. But you were on the poster, weren't you?"

"Yes, I guess I was. I'm Kozue," Kozue extended an arm.

"Ayame. Nice to meet you," Ayame replied, shaking her hand. "What'll you have?"

"Hmm..." Kozue looked over the menu and her eyes strayed to the cheapest item, the Miso and Pork Rib ramen.

"You can order whatever you like," Neji said, following her gaze.

"It's okay really. I don't want you spending too much money on me. Honestly, I'm not worth it," Kozue said, smiling. "I'll have the Miso and Pork Rib ramen."

Neji ordered for himself and collected both menus, placing them on the side.

"So," Neji began conversationally. "Tell me about yourself."

"Oh! Um... I don't like tofu...?" Kozue said hesitantly.

"No? Huh. Neither do I."

"Really?"

"It's so... mushy." Neji mimed a squishing motion with his hands and Kozue giggled.

"Hmm... oh, my favorite color! How about that?" Kozue asked. Neji nodded.

"Shoot."

"Okay. I like that sort-of blueish green teal color, with a little silver around the edges."

Neji raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I know. It's a complicated color," Kozue said with a little laugh. Neji smiled slightly.

"On the contrary. It sounds like a beautiful color."

"Oh, it is!" Kozue nodded vigorously. "I have a shirt in that color. Sadly, it's not something you can wear with bright red unruly hair like mine." Kozue tugged on the end of one of her curls thoughtfully.

"I think you could pull it off," Neji said quickly. He found himself watching the movements her hair made around her finger.

"You think so?" Kozue asked brightly.

"Well, no one will be looking at the shirt." Neji almost clapped a hand over his mouth, but it was too late. His words had already done damage. Kozue lifted her glass of water to her mouth and began drinking, her cheeks bright pink.

She kept drinking.

"See, you're so terrible at this, she's trying to drown herself," Ayame whispered. Kozue choked, dropping the glass and going into a coughing fit.

"I am NOT trying to drown myself!" Kozue wheezed before starting another coughing fit. Neji pat her on the back helplessly. Kozue brushed away his hand impatiently.

"I'm fine," Kozue snarled. Teuchi placed the bowls in front of them.

"Be careful not to strangle yourself with a noodle," Ayame whispered seriously. Kozue scowled and Neji winced. It had been going so well.

They ate in silence over the next few minutes.

"Any pets?" Kozue asked softly. Neji felt elated. She was trying to start up conversation again!

"Nope," Neji replied. Kozue nodded.

"Neither do I, unless you count all the animals at the circus."

"What are their names?" Neji asked politely.

"The lion's name is King, the elephant is Haku. There are others, we have some rabbits for the magician and snaked for the snake charmer, but I don't remember all their names."

"Do they ever feed the rabbits to the snakes?" Neji asked. Kozue made a face.

"Sometimes, actually. When we're low on food, since we have enough rabbits and a few snakes." Kozue sighed, looking off into space.

"What happens to the people when the circus is low on food?"

"It's rare, but when it does happen usually we'll set up some extra performances to earn the extra money needed. Or we'll accept food as currency for some of them."

"Makes sense," Neji said, nodding in agreement. Kozue shrugged.

"I wish it would just stay the same, though. I mean, the ringmaster is always coming up with these new ideas, but honestly I think it was just more difficult for us. For instance, you know that costume his girlfriend wears on the elephant?"

"Don't remind me," Neji said ruefully, shuddering. Kozue smiled slightly.

"Well, she used to wear a lot more feathers. He cut it down to nearly half the coverage onstage, because he said it would 'appeal to the older audiences'. I was sitting there, and I was like, 'screw you!'" Kozue slammed her palm on the table. "You should've seen what he was trying to get me to wear."

"What, more feathers?" Neji asked.

"Think more like... tape."

"Ah." Neji's face was unreadable.

"Yeah. It was pretty nasty. He said it would reduce my chances of catching fire onstage, but my hand never slips. Speaking of which..." Kozue trailed off.

"Hmm?" Neji asked. Kozue smiled shyly.

"I was wondering... you know that place I was practicing in last time you saw me? Well, if you meet me there again tomorrow, there's something I'd like to show you."

"I would love to. Same time?" Neji asked.

"It's a date," Kozue said, grinning. She got up. "Thank you for lunch," she added, and headed down the road. Neji sighed.

"Next time, Ayame, please stay out of it," he said woefully. He dropped the money on the counter and left.

Kozue lay awake all night, staring up at the colorful ceiling of her tent. For some reason, sleep was evading her. She rolled over, her blanket falling off the bed. She didn't bother to pick it up. Whenever she couldn't sleep, Chiaki used to hum her a lullaby and she would fall asleep in the blink of an eye.

"I wish Chiaki were here," Kozue whispered softly to herself. "If Chiaki were here, I'd rest easy. Especially if I had known how close... she came to dying..."

Kozue closed her eyes. Chiaki's face popped up behind her eyelids, and Kozue sat bolt upright. Suddenly, the pieces to the puzzle all fell into place.

"Of course. Why didn't I realize it before?" She muttered to herself. She got out of bed and got dressed quickly.

_The__ target__ was__ never __Chiaki.__ Chiaki__ wouldn't__ hurt__ a __fly!__ It__ was __all__ a__ mistake,__ and...__I__ think __I__ know__ who__ made __it!_ Kozue thought to herself, her eyes lighting up. She raced outside. The sun was just rising early in the morning, she had been awake all night.

_Please, __let__ me __make__ it__ in__ time!_ She thought furiously. The only sound was the far away chirping of birds and the sound of her bare feet against the rocky ground. She winced as the stones dug into the soles of her feet.

She turned up the street towards the building that housed the Hokage's office.

"Tsunade-sama!" She exclaimed, racing up to the door. The two guards at the door stepped into her path, blocking the way to the entrance.

"Let me in, please, I need to talk to the Hokage!" Kozue explained, trying to push past them. "This is a matter of life or death! You have to let me through!"

"I'm afraid the Hokage is not available at the moment," One of the guards said skeptically. "But if it's that important, I'm sure we can-"

"No, no, no!" Kozue wailed in despair. She thought frantically, then raced off in the other direction. She headed down the street towards the place she had set up to met with Neji, that way if anything happened to her he'd know where to find her-

Something slammed against her legs and she was stopped midstride. She fell to the ground painfully, her arms tied to her sides with wire attached to Shuriken.

"Well, well, well. What have we here? You're up rather early, aren't you?" A voice asked from above her. Kozue looked up.

"You," she said spitefully. "I knew it was you. I knew it."

"Did you?" He moved just slightly, so that the sun wasn't in her eyes any more and she could see clearly. She gave a little gasp.

The face staring down at her belonged to none other than the Jonin, Kakashi.


	4. The Truth

"You're not Kakashi," Kozue spat. The figure above her smiled behind the mask.

"Oh? Then who am I?"

"I know exactly who you are. But you won't get away with it, you know. I know everything."

"Tut, tut. And that's exactly why I have to kill you. A pity really, you were so talented."

"I still am," Kozue said. "Watch me."

She shut her eyes and concentrated.

The cool, tingling sensation spread throughout her body. She felt herself sliding into the ground, right through the ropes holding her arms to her sides. She made a Sign.

"Earth style Jutsu," she whispered, pleading that this once Earth style would work. After all, that was not her strong point. Nevertheless, she felt a pocket open in the earth beneath her, and next thing she knew she was traveling underground. The last thing she heard was the indignant shout of her would-be captor above her.

She made her way to the clearing from underneath the surface. It was dark and getting increasingly constricting, she had never liked small spaces either.

Finally she made it, and as the earth spit her onto the surface she lay panting for a moment.

"You made it this far, birdie. But how far can you make it on a broken wing?" An evil voice cackled from the trees above her. A kunai knife was thrown at her and she pulled away quickly, the knife slamming into the ground where her arm had been only a split second before.

"What do you want?" Kozue gasped, getting to her feet and looking around quickly, trying to spot her assailant.

"It's not what I want, but I'm going along with it anyway. I have higher orders. Have you ever heard the phrase, 'Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned / Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned? William Congreve. I must admit, he got it on the nose."

"So what, your mother wants you to kills me?" Kozue drawled sarcastically.

"Close, actually. A female friend of mine. Honestly, I agree wholeheartedly. You have been getting quite annoying." Another kunai knife was thrown, and Kozue leapt sideways.

"Show yourself, you coward!" Kozue exclaimed angrily. There was a rustle, and then Kakashi jumped from the trees, swinging a Shuriken around his finger.

"You don't like these, do you?" He asked softly. Kozue backed away. He lifted the Shuriken and threw it hard, just as Kozue made a Sign.

"Uma, Tatsu, Ushi, Ne, Saru, Tatsu, Hitsuji!" She chanted, forming the hand motions. The silky feeling spread from her head to toes, and the Shuriken flew through her. She smiled.

"You can't hurt something you can't touch," she said softly. She made another Sign.

_Shadow __Clone __Jutsu!_ She thought frantically. There was a poof and, when the smoke cleared, three copies of her were waiting for her orders. She concentrated.

"Hidden Jutsu: Untouchable Shadow Clones!" She said. Fear flashed in Kakashi's eyes as the shadow clones charged. He threw kunai knifes, but none hit their mark. He leapt into the branches, hoping to throw them off. All three shadow clones were intangible, but that didn't mean they couldn't hurt him.

Three punches were thrown simultaneously, resulting in three thumping sounds and one 'oof' sound. Kakashi fell from the tree and landed on the ground hard, unconscious. Kozue smiled.

"Luckily for you, I'll make it quick," she whispered, picking up one of his kunai knives. She held it to his throat.

Out of nowhere, another kunai knife came flying. It speared her shoulder with such force that she was thrown against the tree behind her, and the tip of the knife went through her flesh and stuck to the tree so that she couldn't move. Shuriken trailing wire followed, wrapping around her and the tree, completely immobilizing her.

"Wait, no, you don't understand!" Kozue said frantically to the new Ninja. These were Leaf Village, but as far as they knew she had just tried to kill one of their Jonin. The two guards from the Hokage's office and the Hokage herself were at the head of the group, and some other Shonobi followed.

Two medical Ninja hurried forward to check Kakashi's pulse.

"Stop! That's not Kakashi! It's the Transformation Jutsu! That's the murderer!" Kozue strained against the wires as cold blood slipped down her arm from her shoulder wound.

The medical Ninja loaded Kakashi onto the stretcher, but before they could head back to the village, the Hokage held out a hand.

"You have five minutes to give me your side of the story," Tsunade said softly. Kozue nodded gratefully.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama. I know exactly what happened. I only put it together a little while ago, up until then it was just a pile of pieces. But then the last one clicked into place.

"I couldn't sleep, and I was remembering one morning with Chiaki. We were walking through the village buying supplies, and someone mentioned to Chiaki what a pretty daughter she had. Chiaki corrected her, but remembering that made me think - Chiaki _does_ look a lot like me. After all, we're about the same build, and she has the same hair. Plus, since we do our performances together, we wear similar clothing. In the dark, it's easy to mistake Chiaki for me, and that's exactly what happened. The murderer" Kozue nodded to Kakashi on the stretcher "was heading for me and spotted Chiaki leaving the tent. Thinking it was me going to Chiaki's tent, the murderer killed her.

"But in the morning he realized his mistake. He tried again, but there were two Chunin who saw him sneaking around my tent. He couldn't have anyone seeing him, so he killed the two Chunin as well. But there was one more thief that night."

Kozue took a deep breath.

"There were two 'ghosts'. One was the murderer, one was me. The one the woman claimed to have seen was me. I also stole the medallion. But not for the reason you think!" She cried hastily. "The medallion was a fake. I know because when the two Chunin saw the murderer sneaking around, it was because he had just _left_ the building with the medallion. He had exchanged the real one for the fake and then was planning on killing me! I had seen the whole thing, because I was awake at the time.

"But it wasn't over. The medallion he had replaced the real one with was not just a fake, it was a timed bomb designed to go off a day after the circus planned to leave. That's why I needed to steal it back, otherwise the whole village would've been blown up. Sadly, I was seen by the two Jonin guarding the medallion. The murderer would have killed them as well, but even though I didn't want to be seen I still could never hurt anyone. So I used the Shadow Paralysis Jutsu and caught them, then left with the medallion.

"Everyone suspected me, of course. But then I spent some time with Neji, who I was pretty sure was assigned to spy on me when he referred to asking me questions about the murder as a 'side thing.'"

"But wait," Tsunade interjected. "How can you use the Shadow Paralysis Jutsu?"

"Shadow Possession," Shikamaru corrected from behind her. Tsunade waved it away impatiently.

"The Shadow... _Possession_ Jutsu, among others, is one of the Jutsu that people from the Village Hidden in Shadow have perfected. Nearly the whole circus is from the Village Hidden in Shadow, where Jutsu using shadows are developed. I can also use the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and another Hidden Jutsu that it my own," Kozue explained. "The problem is, there's one more person who can use that Hidden Jutsu."

Kozue nodded down at Kakashi.

"That's not Kakashi. I know, because I suspected that the murderer would take the form of someone in the village. When Kakashi appeared at Chiaki's murder, I told him my suspicions, and he agreed to stay low and keep an eye out. That's how I knew this was not the same person."

"So who is this, then?" Tsunade asked skeptically.

"That would be my master. The ringmaster from the circus. Look around his neck, I'll bet he couldn't bear to take his precious rabbit's foot off," Kozue said smugly. Tsunade nodded to the medical Ninja, who lifted him and felt around his neck. He pulled out a chain, the rabbit's foot dangling it. Tsunade looked back at Kozue.

"I guess we were wrong," she admitted. Kozue sighed, leaning back against the tree.

"There's one last thing. There was one more person in on it all. I think I know who that it as well. The person-" Kozue suddenly stopped, her eyes wide. There was a dart sticking out of her neck. Kozue shuddered, and Tsunade leapt forward.

"Quickly, undo the wire!" She called, pulling out the dart. The two guards from her office quickly slit the wire with kunai knives. Medical Ninja hastily dropped the person who looked like Kakashi, and loaded Kozue onto the stretcher. They headed down the road quickly, passing by a startled Neji, who was just coming the other way. He looked down at Kozue as the Ninja hurried past him.

"What happened?" He demanded.

"I think she knows too much," Tsunade said, holding up the dart. "Someone just tried to kill her after she told us everything except the name of the second person."

Neji looked back at the medical Ninja, who had disappeared. He turned suddenly and raced after them.

~ Later On ~

Kozue opened her eyes. The left side of her face and neck burned and stung. She raised a hand to her head.

Or at least tried to. She could barely move.

"Don't try to move," a voice said from beside her. Kozue looked up.

"Tsunade-sama," she said fearfully. "I swear, I didn't do it, it was-"

"We know who it was, Kozue. You told us yourself, remember?" Tsunade asked concernedly.

"No... wait, who was it, then?" Kozue asked curiously. Tsunade frowned.

"The ringmaster, remember?"

"Oh, right. Him," Kozue said dreamily. "I remember now."

"Who else was it?" Tsunade asked urgently.

"Hmm?" Kozue asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"You said there was someone else?"

"Oh, no. He did it, all right. That scum," Kozue said cheerfully.

"Are you all right?" Tsunade asked, getting up.

"Peachy. No, dandy. Yes, I like that word better. I'm just dandy, thank you for asking. And how are you? I forget your name..."

Tsunade was out of the room before you could say, 'Where are you going?' She headed down the hall at a fast walk and headed up to the lead medical ninja. She tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yes?" He asked, looking up.

"Whatever did you do to Kozue?" Tsunade asked angrily.

"We didn't do anything. I mean, the poison from the dart may make her weak, but it shouldn't be fatal."

"I know that, but she's gone round the bend. She can't remember anything she told us, or that there was a second person, and she seems to have developed short-term memory loss."

"Oh, dear." The doctor paled. Tsunade drummed her fingers against the wall impatiently.

"What?" She snapped.

"I'm afraid the poison in the dart may have made her momentarily at a loss to remember... I'm sure it will wear off soon," the doctor said hurriedly. Tsunade scowled.

"So you're saying we'll never learn the name of the second person?"

"Of course we will. Like I said, it should wear off soon."

"Hey, lady!" Someone called. Tsunade looked up. Kozue was running down the hall toward her, beaming. "I think I remember now. Was your name Neji? I remember someone called Neji..."

"Oh, dear," the doctor repeated, looking Kozue up and down. "You shouldn't be walking already, let alone running the halls. Come now, let's head back-"

"You stop that," Kozue ordered. "Watch this."

She snatched four pens from the counter and began to juggle them.

"See? Haha! So much fun!" She crowed. "Up and down, up and down, up and down-"

Tsunade pulled the doctor aside.

"Cure her!" She hissed.

"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do..."

"Up and down, up and down, up and down-"

"Fix it! Give her something! I don't care, just do... something!"

"I will see what I can do to repair her memory. In the meantime, perhaps you should fetch that Neji fellow, seeing him may help her get her memory back."

"Up and down, up and down, up and down... oops..."

One of the pens clattered to the floor and burst open, leaking ink all over the floor. Kozue bit her lip, impish delight sparkling in her eyes.

"De pen, it break-ed," she said in a childish voice, clapping her hands. "Can I break the pen again?"

Tsunade threw up her hands and raced down the hall to find Neji.

~ Later On ~

"She's okay?" Neji asked concernedly, seeing the look on the Hokage's face.

"Yes and no," Tsunade said slowly. Neji frowned.

"She's alive, but the dart, though not fatal, made her a bit 'cuckoo for cocoa puffs,' if you know what I mean."

Neji stood up.

"Where is she?" He asked.

"Right now? I think she's juggling pens in the hospital lobby," Tsunade said. "She mentioned you, that she remembered your name, but I don't think she remembered much else-"

Tsunade sighed.

_Why__ do __I__ bother?_ She wondered, watching the receding dust cloud that was Neji.

~ Later On ~

"Neji! You're back!" Kozue exclaimed upon seeing him enter the lobby. Neji began to smile.

"Now you can join the sing-along. Look, this is Mr. Teddy, this is Mr. Ladybug, and this is Mrs. Rabbit," Kozue showed him the stuffed animals from the gift shop in a circle around her. Neji stared back with horror.

"Come on now, all together! I'm a little teapot, short and stout. Here is my handle, here is my spout!" Kozue began conducting the song with one hand and propping up 'Mr. Teddy' with her other.

"In real life, she's around 16. Mentally, she's reverted back to seven," The doctor said sadly. "I don't know if there's anything we can do for her at this stage."

"Nothing?" Neji looked back at Kozue.

"Well, there may be something that can get her memory back, but as far as I know I can't think of anything in particular."

"And you said this was some sort of drug?"

"It seems so, yes."

"Doctor," Tsunade roared, appearing at the entrance. "What is going on? Your patient just tried to sell me girl-scout cookies. This has gotten progressively worse from when I left her with you."

"Er... yes, about that..."

"I'm listening," Tsunade fumed.

"Well, there is something that I think would bring her memory back, but... it's very risky, untested..." The doctor trailed off.

"I'm listening," Tsunade repeated, placing her hands on her hips. Neji's gaze wandered to where Kozue was now sitting on the couch looking dejected, surrounding by her fluffy friends. Neji sighed and walked towards her.

"Oh, hello again!" Kozue brightened up. "You want to buy some girl-scout cookies? We have peanut butter and pickle."

"No, thank you," Neji said politely. "I was wondering, do you remember anyone with long black hair?"

"Long black hair..." Kozue looked thoughtful. "Maaaybe..."

"That will be all. Thank you." Neji walked back to Tsunade and the doctor.

"- might as well try it, don't you think?" Tsunade said in a stage whisper.

"Well, since it's never been tested, there could be adverse side effects... chakra could be affected, balance, and we're not sure if it will actually help her memory..."

"It's our only option. We have a murderer running loose and the only person who knows who it is is... well, a cookie-selling animal tea-partying I'm-a-little-teapot-singing sixteen year-old."

"Yes, Lady Hokage," the doctor said reluctantly. He hurried off.

"What is he fetching?" Neji asked, walking over.

"A new drug. He thinks it may bring Kozue's memory back. In the meantime, I appoint you babysitter." Tsunade turned and began to walk away.

"But wait, why me?" Neji asked, hurrying after her.

"Because you know her and because you're good with kids," Tsunade said with a wink as she turned down another hallway and disappeared after the doctor. Neji threw up his hands in defeat and headed back towards Kozue.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Kozue clapped her hands excitedly. "Will you play with me?"

"That's the plan," Neji sighed as he sat down by Kozue. Kozue handed him Mr. Ladybug.

"All right, listen up. First of all, Mr. Ladybug is NOT female just because he's a 'ladybug'. Got it? Secondly, he has a crush on Mrs. Rabbit. But don't tell anyone, because it's a secret. Okay?"

Neji took a deep breath.

He didn't think he was as good with kids as Tsunade thought he was.

"Got it!" The doctor exclaimed triumphantly, holding up a syringe with some amber liquid inside. He raced down the hall.

"Ach!" Tsunade exclaimed as the needle almost rammed into her arm when the doctor ran around the corner.

"Watch it!" Tsunade growled. The doctor continued down the hall, Tsunade following. When they entered the lobby, the view gave them pause.

Kozue was sitting on the floor surrounding by her fluffy friends, and Neji sat on the couch next to her holding the ladybug stuffed animal, playing with her. Tsunade let out a snort.

"Aw," Tsunade said. The doctor nodded, watching them.

"Good. Now go stick her," Tsunade ordered, pushing the doctor forward. The doctor stumbled slightly but regained his footing and approached the two. Kozue looked up.

"Oh. You again," she said in an annoyed manner. The doctor gave a weak little smile.

"Listen to me, Kozue," Neji said softly. "He's going to give you a little prick in your arm, and the you're going to remember everything. Okay?"

"Will it hurt?" Kozue asked, turning to him with a worried look.

"No, it won't hurt. You'll be fine. I promise," Neji said. The doctor rolled up Kozue's sleeve.

Kozue shut her eyes and buried her face in Neji's chest. Neji pat her on the back reassuringly as the doctor slid the needle into her flesh and administered the drug.

He took the needle out. Kozue opened her eyes.

"Is it over?" She asked in a little voice. Suddenly she went rigid. Her eyes widened.

"Stop it," she whispered. "Stop it! It burns!" She doubled over, clutching her midsection. Neji leaned over her.

"It'll be over in a moment, Kozue," he said, watching her worriedly. Kozue moaned, leaning back against the sofa. Her eyes rolled back, and veins were prominent in her neck, spreading up the side of her face. Kozue put her head in her hands and was silent.

"Kozue? How do you feel?" Neji asked worriedly. There was no answer. Neji forced her head up to study her face. He gasped, dropping her head and jumping back.

"What did you do to her?" He demanded just as Kozue lifted her head from her hands.

Veins spread up her neck and the side of her face, and her eyes were completely pitch black. She wore a serene smile on her face, as though in her own little world. Then she toppled to one side, unconscious.

~ Later On ~

"What happened?" Tsunade demanded. From her spot beside Kozue's hospital bed, she glanced at Kozue's still form.

"It worked. She should wake up soon, probably tired and with low energy, but she should make a full recovery," The doctor reported.

"What happened to her eyes?" Tsunade asked.

"Oh, that. That'll wear off. The brain was kicking back into full function, so the eyes turned of for a moment. At least... I think that's what happened..."

"What do you mean, you think?"

"Could you please lower your voices?" Neji asked from his seat next to Kozue. "She's sleeping."

"Like a baby," the doctor added in a whisper. Tsunade sighed.

"Come on. She should wake up soon." Tsunade turned and left the room. The doctor followed. Neji got up and hesitated, looking back at Kozue. Then he sighed, shook his head, and headed after Tsunade and the doctor.


	5. A Brush With Death

You're probably wondering either who exactly is the second murderer, or where the second murderer is at this moment. Well, the murderer was, in fact, home.

A dark figure waited by the door, letting the door close very quietly behind it. Without a sound, the figure bounded off the steps and then up onto the roof, because everyone knows traveling by rooftop is so much cooler.

Dressed completely in a black, which was stupid because it was in broad daylight anyway, the figure's face was covered by black fabric from its chin to the top of its nose, just below the eyes. A long black braid trailed down its back.

~ Meanwhile ~

Kozue drifted in an endless black pool. There was no bottom, but that didn't matter, because she was standing on the surface of the water. There were no waves, the surface was pure glassy black. The world around her was painted in watercolors, from a pale yellow to a teal blue.

"Where am I?" Kozue asked aloud.

"In the Beyond," a voice whispered back. Kozue turned, trying to identify the source of the words.

"What are you?" Kozue asked. There was a light chuckle.

"Most would ask 'who' rather than 'what'. You are a bright child, aren't you?"

Colors swirled together to form something more or less human shaped.

"I am It," it said.

"Oh. Is that who you are, or what you are?" Kozue asked curiously.

"Both," It replied indifferently.

"Oh." Kozue studied her feet.

"What are you?" It asked.

"I'm human. Mortal. Made of flesh and bone. My name is Kozue."

"No, it isn't," It said. Kozue blinked.

"I think I know what my name is."

"Mortals don't know anything. No, Kozue is the name given to you by your parents."

"Yes. Which makes it my name," Kozue added.

"No," It repeated. "Your name is wrong." It paused thoughtfully.

"So can I call you Bob, then?" Kozue asked. It looked startled.

"My name is It," It said, pointing to itself. "You call me by my name. Mortals don't know anything," It repeated, shaking its head woefully.

"Then I think you can call me Kozue."

"Then I shall."

Kozue was beginning to understand. His _name_ was It, she _called__ herself_ Kozue. But Kozue wasn't necessarily her name.

"What is my name, if not Kozue?" Kozue asked.

"Mortals who don't know their true name will not have their name revealed to them. It comes to you in a time of distress, or when you are dying. Or when your risk your life to protect someone you love." It cocked its head to one side, staring meaningfully at Kozue. Kozue shifted slightly.

"What?" She asked finally.

"I have said nothing."

"Yes, but you're staring at me like you want to tell me something."

"I have already told you. It is your choice to hear it or not."

"You're... different."

"As are you, Kozue."

"So where am I, then? If you're it and I am... me, then where are we?" Kozue asked, looking around.

"Where are you," It corrected. "I am not here. You and me are not 'we'."

"Then you need an English class. And you also need to study geography."

"I have no need to study things that do not pertain to me."

"Well, if you're It, then who am I actually?"

"You are You," It said. Kozue sighed.

"We are getting nowhere."

"Of course you and I are not going anywhere. You and I are not moving."

"Wait a minute." Kozue had a sudden flash of inspiration. "You're It... not He or She or Him or Her, It. And I am... Me. Right? That's what you're saying?"

"Hmm?" It paused. "I apologize, I was preoccupied."

Kozue sighed.

"I am Me," Kozue repeated, a smile growing on her face. "Not Him or Her, It or They. Not He or She or Them. I am... Me. Simply... Me."

Kozue could've sworn It smiled, the mauve corners of its mouth tilting upwards into its midnight blue cheeks.

"You are Me," It said. Then the colors all broke apart, back into the walls of her little room, and Kozue opened her eyes.

She sat up with a gasp.

"Where am I now?" She asked angrily. "People have to stop moving me."

"Kozue! You're awake!" Neji appeared in the doorway, genuinely smiling.

"Neji! What the hell am I doing here?" Kozue asked, looking around.

"You were kind-of out of it," Neji said mournfully. Kozue looked startled.

"What do you mean, out of it? Oh my... what did I say?" Kozue panicked.

"Nothing, really," Neji assured her. "I mean, you made me hold Mr. Ladybug and asked if I wanted to buy some peanut butter and pickle cookies, and then you led me in an 'I'm a Little Teapot' sing-along in which half the choir was inanimate objects, but other than that..."

"I said that?" Kozue gasped. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I have no idea what happened-"

"It's fine. You were kind-of... out of it." Neji gave a little chuckle.

"Obviously," Kozue grinned. "Really, I am SO sorry. I have no idea why I'd do something like that..." Kozue trailed off.

"You okay?" Neji asked concernedly.

"I did tell you who the second murderer was, right?" Kozue asked in a hollow tone.

"Not yet. The Hokage is waiting to hear about that."

"Oh, no." Kozue paled.

"What's wrong?" Neji asked.

"There's one more problem, then."

"What?"

"Well, when I was telling everybody what happened, I may have left out one more detail, besides the name of the murderer. I figured out who the second murderer will try to kill next." Kozue looked up at Neji sorrowfully.

_Does__ she__ mean__ me?_ Neji wondered.

"Me," Kozue finished.

~ Later On ~

"Tsunade-sama! Tsunade-sama!" Shizune called, bursting into the office. Tsunade looked up.

"What?" Tsunade asked crossly.

"She's awake! Kozue is awake, she's in the hospital now," Shizune reported. Tsunade stood up.

"Good, then. I'll head down there-"

"Not quite yet. You see, she says the murderer will be after her next," Shizune said. "And there aren't enough Jonin to spare a couple to put on guard duty..."

"Oh, so that's it. Well, Neji's already on the job, I'll bet, so just get... maybe Kiba and Hinata, since Shino's busy. Three of our best Genin... well, two... will do just as well as a Jonin."

"If you think so. I'll get them immediately," Shizune said worriedly. She hurried back out.

Tsunade folded her hands with a sigh.

_When __will __it__ end?_She thought to herself.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Tsunade said, knocking on the doorframe as she entered. Kozue looked up and smiled.

"Hokage-sama," she said. "Have you heard? I remember who the second murderer is now. You remember when I told you that the ringmaster had a girlfriend? Well, I just realized. You remember the woman who spotted me dressed up like the ghost and screamed? That's her. The woman with the long black braid. I think her name is... um... Yuriko. Yes, that's it. Her name's Yuriko."

"Well, I guess I'll have to go get her myself because most of the Jonin are out on missions." Tsunade sighed. "Just in case, Shizune should get here soon with Hinata and Kiba as protection, if I miss her and she's already on her way here. Three of our best Genin should do fine."

"Oh? Perfect. I always wanted to meet Hinata. Neji told me about her." Kozue smiled up at Neji, who smiled back. Tsunade snorted and they both looked up at her.

"Sayonara," Tsunade said with a quick wave of her hand, immediately composing herself. She left the room.

"I think you two will really hit it off. Hinata's nice, you'll like her," Neji said reassuringly. Kozue grinned.

"I'd better. I can get really competitive, so let's hope."

"You'd better not. I stick up for my cousin, you know, no matter who's on the other side throwing punches."

Kozue stuck her tongue out at him and a small smile tugged at Neji's mouth.

Just then, the door burst open. Kozue looked up and gasped at the figure hulking in the doorway.

The face was in shadow, but monster-like fur covered its head. There was a muttered growl, and the figure stepped into the light.

Neji breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank heavens. You looked pretty scary in the dark, Kiba," Neji said. Kozue relaxed slightly, staring at Kiba's head, where a little white dog was perched precariously.

"We're here," Kiba said, lifting the dog off his head. "Come on, Akamaru. Guard."

The little white dog sat firmly at the door as a girl came in. She was twiddling her thumbs, and her short black hair was cut short and neat up to her chin.

"You must be Hinata," Kozue said enthusiastically. The girl blushed and nodded.

"Neji's told me so much about you," Kozue added.

_Yes,__ if__ you __count__ knowing__ that__ she's__ my__ cousin __'so__ much,'_ Neji thought to himself.

"What are we, chopped liver?" Kiba asked indignantly, his dog giving an agreeing bark from the floor.

"Sorry. Kiba, this is Kozue. Kozue, Kiba. Hinata, Kozue. Kozue, Akamaru," Neji said, pointing to each of them in turn. Hinata smiled.

"Kozue. That's such a pretty name," she said shyly. Kozue grinned.

"Not as pretty as yours."

Neji and Kiba shared an 'exasperated with girls' look.

"So you guys are my protection detail, huh?" Kozue looked them over. "Honestly, I never had a more attractive protection detail in my life. Seriously, Leaf is the place to go if you're single and looking."

Neji blushed and Kiba grinned, patting Akamaru on the head.

"Would you mind if I held him?" Kozue asked, reaching towards the little dog. "I love animals."

"Akamaru?" Kiba asked. Akamaru yipped, then jumped from the floor onto the bedside table, and then onto the bed. He curled up next to Kozue.

"What a handsome puppy," Kozue crooned, scratching him behind his ears. "Heck, even the animals get the good looks."

"They're not too bad in Shadow either," Neji said. Kozue smiled.

"Sadly, you'd be surprised. Half the people are old, and half are cute but really serious. 'No one laughs in Shadow, no one smiles when someone dies. No one loves the light in Shadow, no one yearns for love in dark.'" Kozue quoted. "It's an old saying about my village."

"Speaking of which, I've never heard of that," Kiba said curiously. "What's the Village Hidden in Shadow like?"

"Dark," Kozue admitted. "The nights are so dark you can barely see your hand in front of you, and then in the daytime, noon is the brightest with about as much light as a Hidden Leaf sunset."

"That is dark. How do you live in that?" Kiba asked. "Relying on your sense of smell?"

Kozue laughed.

"I wish. No, we have very good night vision. It's natural. In fact, it's pretty cool what I can see. Even in the pitch black. Or rather, the most dark it can get here, which isn't much. The sun rises and sets in normal time, but people say it has something to do with the air up there. Some sort of... hidden property in the molecules or something."

"That's actually pretty interesting," Neji said. Kozue nodded.

"It really is. Scientists-" Kozue began. Suddenly, the door was blown off its hinges. Kozue ducked and Neji spread his arms over her to protect her from flying splinters, and Akamaru immediately jumped off the bed and joined Kiba. Hinata took a protective stance and the dust began to clear.

The dark figure in the doorway laughed.

"They send three Genin to protect a girl? Three... measly... Genin? They think they can stop me just with that? Ha!"

The figure turned and raced down the hall, the dark braid flying behind it. Kiba, Hinata, and Akamaru raced after it.

"I'll be back soon," Neji promised, and followed after them. Kozue put her hands together, staring after them.

"Like I said," said a sudden voice behind her. Kozue whipped around and gasped. Yuriko was leaning over her, her face covered by black cloth. Kozue was moderately certain she was sneering.

"Three pitiful Genin to be fooled by Shadow Clone," Yuriko spat. "Pitiful," she repeated.

Kozue could barely move. Yuriko took out a coil of rope and bound Kozue's arms to her sides, then hauled her onto the floor. Kozue opened her mouth to scream, but then Yuriko shoved something filthy and dry into her mouth. Kozue choked against the gag.

"That's right. There'll be no screaming while I'm here," Yuriko said pleasantly. She forced Kozue onto her feet.

"Come now. Let's try something with a bit of dramatic flair, shall we?" Yuriko hauled Kozue out the room and down the hall, then outside to the balcony that stretched completely around the building. Kozue strained against the ropes, but she barely had enough strength to raise her arm, let alone wiggle out of ropes.

"See what we're going to do? No? Let me explain it to you." Yuriko hefted Kozue up to look all the way down at the village below. "I'm going to tie you to this side, then hang you over here. Then when your friends come, I'm going to cut the rope connecting you to the wall and watch you fall to your death."

Kozue's eyes widened and she shook her head vehemently. Yuriko laughed.

"This is a perfect opportunity. Of course, I'll probably get caught afterward, but I think it's worth killing the circus brat who tried to steal the show.

Yuriko tied the trailing end of the rope on the balcony. Then she lifted Kozue onto the railing. Kozue looked down and gulped.

_That__ is __a _long_ way__ down,_ Kozue thought to herself. Yuriko let her drop a few inches until she was dangling over the railing by the rope. Kozue tried to squirm her way out, then stopped suddenly, reminding herself that the only thing keeping her from falling was the rope.

_Neji,__ where__ are__ you?_ Kozue thought desperately. _Neji,__ help__ me!_

~ Meanwhile ~

"Ha! Got you!" Kiba exclaimed. Akamaru yelped, leaping forward and grabbing the dark figure by its ankle. The figure stumbled, then regained its footing and slammed Akamaru against the wall. Akamaru let go with a yelp of pain.

"Gentle Fist!" Neji appeared out of nowhere and slammed his palm into the figure chest. There was a pause and everyone held their breath.

Then the figure was gone in a puff of smoke.

_What?_ Neji's eyes widened. _Shadow __Clone?__ Then..._

"Quickly, we have to get back to Kozue. The real Yuriko is after her!" Neji exclaimed, racing back the way they came. Kiba swooped up Akamaru, then he and Hinata followed.

"They got the clone. It's only a matter of time before they realize where I am and come get us." Yuriko gave a sigh of pleasure and held out a kunai knife so that Kozue could see it.

"And then I cut the rope, and you plummet to your death," Yuriko said softly. "So dramatic. The boy tried desperately to save his girl, but he's always just... too... late." Yuriko smiled, leaning against the railing. "Any minute now. Better think your last words, brat, because you're the only on who'll be able to hear them."

_That's__ a__ good__ thing,_ Kozue thought. _I__ wouldn't__ want__ anyone __to__ hear__ the__ words__ I'm__ using __to __describe __you__ right__ now._

"Any minute now," Yuriko repeated, shifting slightly. She was looking impatient. "Any second, more like. Just wait. He'll come."

Kozue had a fleeting thought that that was suppose to be her line.

"It's so fun if the boy doesn't see that he's too late!" Yuriko stomped on the ground and held the knife to the rope.

"I'm cutting it!" She announced. She waited. "I'm serious! It's fraying now."

The rope began parting around the blade of the knife.

"Stop!"

Yuriko smiled.

"And there he is." She cut the rope as Neji came into view. His eyes quickly scanned the scene before him, then seemingly in slow-motion watched as the two ends of the rope split apart. He tried to race forward, to grab the end of the rope, anything, but he was just too late.

Kozue dropped out of sight. There wasn't even a scream, as her mouth was gagged. Neji fell to his knees.

"You... monster," he spat. He held up a kunai knife and Yuriko laughed.

"I've done what I wanted to. I have nothing else to do, so go ahead and take me in. That was my last act before being locked away, so of course that would be my need for dramatics." Yuriko held her hands out and pulled off her mask, laughing.

"I'm finished," she crowed. "And the brat is dead. I'm happy, damn it."

"You..." Neji couldn't find words as Kiba and Hinata landed beside him.

"What happened?" Kiba asked. Hinata gave a little gasp and pointed to the frayed end of the rope. Kiba stared at it, then looked at the laughing Yuriko.

"She fell, then?" Hinata asked in a small voice. Neji nodded and Hinata bowed her head.

The two guards from the door appeared to drag Yuriko away. Tsunade appeared behind them, looking angry.

"Already on her way. How was I suppose to know? We couldn't catch her at the house... wait, where's Kozue?" Tsunade stopped.

"She fell," Hinata explained softly, pointing to the rope. Tsunade was dumbstruck. Then she bowed her head for a moment.

"Someone drop something?" A cheerful voice said from the steps leading down the building along the balcony. Everyone turned towards the newcomer.

It was Kakashi. He was grinning behind his mask, and he held a still figure in his arms.

"I thought it might belong to one of you, so I caught it and brought it up for you," Kakashi continued, putting Kozue on the ground. Neji was shocked.

Kozue opened her eyes.

"I'm not dead?" She asked. She looked up at Kakashi.

"Oh. You," she said accusingly. "I suppose you're the real one, right?"

"No, I'm actually a parasitic cherry blossom that was exposed to radiation and grew legs, then used the transformation Jutsu to look like Kakashi," Kakashi said sarcastically. "Yes, it's me."

"And I'm not dead?" Kozue asked in a small voice. Neji stood up.

"You're not dead," he said in equal wonder. Kozue grinned.

"Would you mind?" She asked, sitting up and looking down at the ropes. "I want to hug you, but I'm a little tied up."

Neji ran forward, and with one swipe of his kunai, he slit the ropes and they fell away. Kozue threw her arms around Neji, crying happy tears. Neji hugged her back.

Then Kozue looked up at him and gave an impish smile. She raised her head and pressed her lips to his.

Neji blinked, surprised.

Kiba started rolling on the floor in laughter, and Akamaru joined him. Hinata's entire face was bright red, and she looked away discreetly. Tsunade was smiling.

"You know, I don't think the circus likes me anymore," Kozue said very definitely. "I think... if it's okay with you guys... I'd like to quit the circus and stay in the Leaf Village a while.

Neji looked up at Tsunade with that 'can I keep it?' expression. Tsunade laughed.

"You know what, I think that'd be a great idea," Tsunade said. "However, since you don't have any parents, you're going to need a place to stay."

Kozue's face fell.

"You're right. I wouldn't want to burden anyone. I mean, I may be able to keep the circus tent around-"

"She can have the room next to mine," a shy little voice said from the side. Everyone turned to look. Hinata was trembling and blushing, but her little hand was raised.

"She can live with me and my father. Neji comes over often to train with my father, so they can see each other a lot, and she can't stay with Neji because that'd be improper. We have an empty room next to mine, I'm sure my father won't mind."

"I'll talk to him," Tsunade said. "It seems like the best option, so it sounds like a plan. We'll see, though. If Hiashi objects, then we can find somewhere else. Welcome to the Leaf."

"Thank you. Glad to be here," Kozue said gratefully. She grinned at Neji.

"See, so I'll be nearly right next door. And I'll watch every training session. And maybe... maybe I can even teach you the Untouchable Jutsu," she said.

"That's that Jutsu that lets you walk through walls?" Neji asked. Kozue laughed.

"Sort-of. I don't actually have a name for it. Most of the people in my Village can do that Jutsu, but we still don't have a name for it."

"Phantom Jutsu?" Kiba suggested. Kozue nodded.

"Could be. I've always called it the 'Untouchable Jutsu'."

"What, so now we're going to fight on what to cal Kozue's Jutsu? It's her Jutsu, she can call it what she likes," Neji said indifferently. "How about we call it... 'that' Jutsu?"

"That's vague," Kozue complained.

"Exactly. So the enemy won't know what you're talking about," Neji said. Kozue nodded.

"Interesting."

"Not! Phantom."

"Whatever."

"You guys are so immature."

"Who said that?"

"Wasn't me."

"Not me."

"Nope."

"Wait a minute, that's three 'no'. That means whoever asked the question answered no."

"..."

"Truly you have a dizzying intellect."

"Thank you. I pride myself on it."

*scoff* "Yeah, I know you do."

"I wasn't talking to you."

"Whatever."

"Guys... stop fighting..."

"Three guesses to as that was."

"Hinata."

"Hinata."

"You guys _are_ immature."

"No, really, who said that?"

~ The End ~


End file.
